The Rev. Dr. Ted Smith thinks theologically about the practices and institutions of American Protestantism in the season of their disestablishment. He develops thick descriptions of everyday church life that open into political theology, cultural criticism, and practical wisdom for ministry. In pursuing this project, Smith draws on theology, social theory, and the history of Christianity in the United States. Smith’s first book, The New Measures (Cambridge University Press, 2007), tells a history of preaching that gives rise to eschatological visions of modern democracy. His second book, Weird John Brown (Stanford University Press, 2014), works through memories of the raid on Harpers Ferry to show the limits of social ethics for thinking about violence. Smith has edited collections of essays on sexuality and ordination, contemporary issues in preaching, and economic inequality. He is currently coordinating a grant that gathers diverse groups of writers to think about the meanings and purposes of theological education in a time of great change.

Before coming to Emory, Smith taught at Vanderbilt Divinity School, where he served as founding director of the Program in Theology and Practice. Ordained to ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Smith served two congregations in upstate New York before beginning doctoral work. When he is not on the road to preach, he teaches fourth- and fifth-grade Sunday School at Oakhurst Presbyterian Church.